“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold,
there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand:
and Joshua went to him and said to him,
‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?’ And he said, ‘No!’ ”
Joshua 5:13–14a
If God had sent this angel from heaven to kill Joshua, he would have done it. The angel was neither for Joshua nor against him, just as he said to Joshua; he had come only to do God’s will, whatever it was. All this world knows is “for or against”, “this side or that side”, and people choose sides accordingly, but God has nothing to do with any of that.
Men know that God is neither old nor young. Men know He is neither male nor female. But what is often overlooked is the fact that He is neither right nor wrong, good nor evil, wise nor foolish – as concerns earthly rightness and wrongness, earthly goodness and wickedness, or earthly wisdom and foolishness. He is none of those things. He doesn’t participate in our kind of life.
All that the religions of the world can teach is right or wrong in a worldly sense, good or evil in a worldly sense, wise or foolish in an earthly sense. God is not in any of that. If Joshua had asked God’s angel, “Are you wise or foolish?” He would also have answered, “No.” God’s ways are not our ways – neither our good ways nor our bad ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts – neither our right thoughts nor our wrong thoughts.
Many of God’s people have lowered themselves to take sides in worldly matters. The Lord showed me not to become either a yes or a no in matters of this life, for to be either is to partake in this world’s strife and waste our lives debating with men and demanding of them, “Are you for us or against us?” All that God ever responds to that question is “No.”
